With warmer and sunny weather here, Albany County Executive Dan McCoy is launching an effort to prevent skin cancer.
Speaking recently at the Watervliet Pool, the Democrat showcased an initiative to place sunscreen dispensers at parks across the county. McCoy says he hopes it will help reduce cancer rates, especially those that are easily treatable if caught early.
“We want to remind people, if you do use our rail trails, or if you're just walking around, or you're going to use the pool, and you forget your sun lotion, there you go, you've got it taken care of. But this wouldn't happen — there's over 20 locations that we're gonna be at, so I'm not gonna be able to list them all, but we're putting them all over, and again, not possible without our partnerships. And some of the places we're gonna see: the city of Albany, Colonie, Bethlehem, Ravena, Green Island, Westerlo, Berne, Voorheesville, and even here in Watervliet," McCoy said.
Albany County Comptroller Sue Rizzo said she’s speaking from personal experience.
“I would just like to say a few words as a cancer survivor. I will say not all cancers are easily detectable melanoma is if you put on sunscreen, it's easy to stop it from happening. I use sunscreen on my face, hence the nice skin, other than being Italian. But I highly recommend using the sunscreen and I'm happy to see that the county and all the cities are going to have them in their parks," Rizzo said.
Hesan Waly, a graduate fellow with the Albany County Cornell Cooperative Extension, coordinated with Impact Melanoma, a national foundation whose mission is to stop skin cancer, to design Albany County’s rollout. She says prevention is key.
“Over 90% of skin cancers are caused by sun exposure. It is known that the regular usage of sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 applied every two hours can lower your melanoma risk by 50%. Secondly, I realized through conversations with community members that while skin cancer is largely preventable sunscreen and sun protection methods are not always accessible," Waly said.
McCoy added, having survived skin cancer himself, people should be vigilant of any changes in their skin.
“You know, got it early. And that was the key thing, getting to your doctor's early screening, and I got it early. And I gotta be careful," McCoy said.
Dr. Anthony Gregory of Upstate Dermatology says not all skin cancers are alike.
“Basically, it's one of three cells that's the outer layer of skin that mutates, which means that it changes and turns towards a cancerous tumor. And those three cells are basal cells, squamous cells, and melanocytes.”
Gregory notes skin cancer is the most common kind of cancer.
“Basal cells are very common. It's the most common cancer in the United States. Squamous cell is less common, although we certainly see lots of people. People tend to be more prone to get either one or the other.”
Gregory says that the greatest risk posed by skin cancer is when it metastasizes.
“Basal cell is the least likely to metastasize. Squamous cell can be very aggressive, and if left unattended, especially if you have other pre-existing medical conditions, and then melanoma is generally the most aggressive," Gregory said.
Skin cancer is typically treated with surgery, but treatment will vary with how thick the tumor is. Gregory says skin cancer is caused by overexposure to ultraviolet light and protection is key.
“I encourage people to find a sunscreen, that one: greater than 40 SPF, two, doesn't irritate their skin. Because some people are allergic to some of the components in sunscreen. And so you have to find a brand that works well for you," Gregory said.
And it’s important to reapply.
“If you’re out all day, you should probably reapply in the afternoon. If you're swimming, unless it's a waterproof one you should probably reapply," Gregory said.
Beyond that, regular checkups are recommended.
"Don’t hesitate to go in and let somebody, be it primary care or nurse practitioner, whoever you see, let them look at it. Wait and see is not a good idea with skin cancer," Gregory said.
Deborah Riitano, Commissioner of the Albany County Department of Aging, says dispensers are a good first step, but more needs to be done.
“Sunscreen dispensers are just the beginning of where we are headed. We cannot change the past but we can change the future by doing our part in health prevention," Riitano said.
The dispensers will be maintained by the county Recreation Department.
A full list of the locations is here.
Upstate Dermatology has been a WAMC underwriter.
